A tour through Milford Sound

With full stomachs and ready cameras, we marched out onto the bow to absorb the view. The high walls of the fjord were abundant with the usual shades of green and cascading waterfalls. The sun was extremely bright, casting rainbows in the veils as they crashed into the deep waters of this magnificent place. Although we were told that the best time to go is when it has been raining, there were still plenty of waterfalls.

We also got our first, and a great look at New Zealand Fur seals. The smaller boat was able to come up within 3 metres of the rocks where the seals were laying, although, we were still a fair distance from the seals. Relaxing in the sun, likely digesting away their last meal, they dozily rolled from side to side, barely acknowledging our presence.

A quiet cruise in the sun was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the crowded streets of Auckland. Blue sky everywhere, and small waterfalls trickling from the ancient rock that was once again carved out by a once massive chunk of ice.

The scope of the sound was difficult to capture in picture as the monolithic walls rose almost straight of the water and far enough that their peaks caught passing clouds.

At the end of the sound, we wandered through a rock lobster holding area and admired the stony beaches that may even have contained the precious mineral Jade. The sea also turned rough as we ventured beyond the sheltered waters of the inner sound, giving way to wave swept rocky outcrops and numerous seabirds including a Mollymawk, a relative of the albatross, which danced on the winds behind the boat as we turned to head back in.

Even more fur seals were basking in the fleeting rays of the sun as the mountain's shadow began to encompass much of the available haul out rocks.

We stopped to get an up close view of one of the larger water falls, and despite having read a bit on the tour and having seen photos, I admit I still was surprised by what was to come.

The lush green vegetation and algae that grew on these rocks were well supplied with moisture as the plumes of mist spread all around. I had fortunately switched to the waterproof camera, but still remained on the bow. When the captain announced that we should guard our cameras as it may get a little wet, I started to clue in.

And after this shot it was clear the captain was about to drench the bow, so I tucked away my other camera and ushered the girls back into the main area of the boat. Before I managed to get through the door, I was thoroughly soaked from the back of my pants to my head. The girls managed to get off with a light dampness... 

Still, it was an absolutely majestic waterfall, a certain mystique that is characteristic of these Isles in the South Pacific. We dried off as best we could and then headed back to the bow to dry off in the sun as we rounded Mitre Peak to meet back up with the bus.

A splendid and relaxing tour, this day was to be probably one of the more relaxing days, at least for me. There would be much driving ahead of us over the next few days and little time to see the many wonders that lay ahead of us. Before we got back on the bus, we were treated to one last surprise. I gorgeous white heron, all ruffled and tufted at the end of the pier.

On the bus and back through the mountains, we reminisced on the sights of the day and discussed the plans for tomorrow.

The road to Milford Sound

Early the next morning, we rose to a chilly morning sunrise, gathered our gear, and walked into Te Anau to catch our bus. Being early, we grabbed a coffee and a snack to kick-start our day while perusing the gift shop. When our bus pulled up we took our seats while the passengers from Queenstown got some breakfast. Before we knew it, we were on the road heading from an already rural environment to a practically untouched landscape except for the road and a few signs. Paddocks were replaced by yellow plains surrounded by mountains of lush green forest with a cloudy frosting at the peaks which occasionally spilled down the mountainside. I also take this point to apologize for the quality of some of the pictures. The bus was comfortable and provided a great view from its windows, just wasn't the best for taking pictures through.

That being said we did make a few stops, the first being at Mirror Lakes, a few relatively deep bodies of water bordering the lush beech forest and the plains beyond. These lakes were crystal clear, with the remnants of fallen trees still visible below the surface. It was the stillness of the water however that created a mirrored affect along this surface though, reflecting the mountains on the opposite side of the plains.

A short but beautiful diversion from the long trip left ahead of us, we had just long enough to admire the lakes reflective properties and take in a little of the beech forest that predominates this landscape. Once again, New Zealand showed its many shades of green as moss, lichen, and ferns covered most available space on rock and tree.

Back on the buss we went through Knobs Flat and an area known as The Divide, alongside more lakes and now waterfalls as the mountains seemed to start encroaching on the road. This eventually gave way again, as the signs of glaciation became even more apparent. Hanging valleys from smaller glaciers met with larger ones were periodic reminders that were were travelling in the ancient path of what would have been an enormous glacier.

Once more we stopped just to get out and stretch our legs. Like most I took the opportunity to capture the mystique of this land that had originally been carved by ice and continually reshaped by avalanches, rock slides, and water. The early morning light was beautiful as I scurried around with my camera taking pictures of the mountains, trees, rocks, and just about anything that caught my fancy; something my Father and I share in common.

Back on the bus we went, meandering upwards into the mountains as the vegetation diminished. Landslides were frequent along this route, and as our guide mentioned, some had required bulldozers and even explosives to clear when they had crossed the road. One had even been so much effort that they just rebuilt the road around it. The road eventually came to what appeared to be a dead end. This was the entrance to the Homer Tunnel, cut through the granite rock of the mountain. We waited for our turn, most of which I spent trying to take a good picture of this waterfall but to no avail.

Into the darkness, the headlights of the bus providing the only clue to where we were as we watched the shadows dancing along the road and the granite walls. Eventually, as we would all hope, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and we arrived on the other side. A few hair pin turns down the mountain side, across the same river multiple times, and through an increasingly lush forest and we finally arrived at our destination.

We exited the bus to a large boat terminal which seemed oddly out of place in this incredibly rustic environment. It put the Saint John Airport to shame really in terms of how nice it was. We went outside again to the wharf and passed all the huge luxury boats till we got to our quaint metal boat which thanks to it's diminutive stature would allow us to get closer to many of the wildlife and waterfalls throughout the sound. Despite its size, it was a very comfortable boat, and we sat down to some lunch as the boat set off on the second leg of this day's journey.

Reunited and on the road

The next morning we were up early and off to Queenstown to meet up with Lisa and start the first big driving leg of our journey. Outside the backpackers, we found her standing with her bags and enormous pack on her back, which was quickly sent to the car so we could enjoy a little bit of Queenstown before we hit the road. After a nice breakfast at a local cafe, we wandered down through the streets, staring into the windows of shops that had yet to open. We meandered our way to the waterfront which was bustling people getting their aquatic tourist attractions ready for the the rousing crowds that were sure to flock their way soon. Extreme activities such as jet boats and a sort of shark submersible jet ski were starting up along side large cruising vessels for the slower paced adventurers. And among all the hustle and bustle, ducks fed and gathered in the shallows and between the piers, seemingly unaware of the action around them.

As the shops started opening, we returned to the streets to poke our heads in a few. It was surprising the speed at which the crowds of people suddenly flooded these slow paced roads, looking for trinkets and bargains. We wandered through a few clothing stores, some souvenir shops, as well as the wool and rock shop again.

One hidden gem however, was the candy shop which much to our delight, had real homemade fudge. Good homemade fudge has not been easy to find in New Zealand so we were ecstatic to find one which also served a great deal of fudge flavours! At the risk of sounding stereotypical, the maple fudge was particularly delicious.

When we had enough fudge, we decided it was time to start the long journey through the Southland countryside to the town of Te Anau. It was bound to be a fairly long drive, although the roads in this part were considerable straighter and in better condition than many of the north island roads we had traveled, making it a bit shorter than expected. The ride was mostly mountains and fields which was wonderful scenery but definitely warranted less stops for pictures than I had expected. Clouds and fog frequently hung to the mountain tops, sides, and sometimes just in the valleys at their base. The clouds got increasingly fewer the farther we traveled leaving a gorgeous sunny blue sky gracing the mountain tops.

Once in Te Anau, we grabbed food for lunch and supper, ate our lunch at the lakeside while waiting for our cabin to be ready, and wandered through the small strip of shops that ran down the small main drag of town. We found the place where our bus would pick us up the next day for the Milford Sound tour and then headed back for supper and sleep.